Compound for treating tobacco.



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WILLIAM A. PIKE, ALBERT (J. OHADOIN, AND HUTOHISON M. PIKE, OFSPRINGFIELD, TENNESSEE.

GOIVIPOUND FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,275, dated November6, 1900.

Application filed April 14:, 1900. Serial No. 121932. (No specimens.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. PIKE, ALBERT O. CHADOIN, and HUTOHISONM. PIKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield, in thecounty of Robertson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new anduseful Compound for Treating Tobacco, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a compound for treating tobacco immediatelyafter it has been out and hung up or such other tobacco that has beensubjected to other curing processes or methods; and the object in viewisto effectively obtain the result usually derived from a long and tediousnatural treatment commonly pursued with material advantages and benefitto the tobacco and in addition prevent the loss of the oils which aredried out by treatment under ordinary methods by the fumes of combinedchemicals and substances burned by a slow fire and properly cure andcolor the leaves and preserve the desirable quantities, and consequentlyincrease the market value of the tobacco so treated.

The compound employed consists of ingredients as follows: creosote,thirty-two parts; sulfur, one part; lignin, four parts; ammonia, fourparts; charcoal, thirty-five parts; salt, (chlorid of sodium,) twentyparts.

The tobacco to be treated directly after cutting is hung up in aninclosure similar to the ordinary method of tobacco treatment and a slowfire started adjacent to or in the said inclosure. The above-statedcompound in a thoroughly-mixed state is placed upon and burned by thefire and the inclosure becomes filled with the fumes, which envelop thetobacco. The tobacco is subjected to this treatment for a period of timesufficiently long to obtain the desired condition and color. In additionto obtaining a uniformity of color of a character which is exceptionallydesirable and hard to obtain under ordinary curing processes and methodsthe substances of the stems and oils are equally diffused through theleaf.

Under ordinary methods of tobacco treatment the oil is expelled alongwith the watery matter, owing to the application of too much heat andtoo rapid curing; but by the use of the compound before set forth burnedby a slow fire this disadvantage is avoided.

The amount of fire required to burn the com pound is comparatively smallowing to the combustible nature of some of the ingredients of theaforesaid compound and the tempering character of 0thers,andcouflagrations, now frequently resulting from the large fires necessary,are entirely avoided.

The action of each ingredientis as follows: The salt softens and opensthe pores of the tobacco, so as to render it susceptible to the speedyaction of the other elements. The charcoal is resolved into or emitscarbonicacid gas, which fixes or aids in bringing out pungency offlavor, as do also sulfur and ammonia, neither singly giving the desiredresult, but jointly or in combination producing the flavor sought.Oreosote being composed of a complex mixture of various phenols acts topreserve and impart the desired color to the tobacco, and lign'in givesthe proper gloss to the leaves and throws out the color with bettereffect and also the gummy and substantial feeling to the leaves.

As a compound the sulfur, ammonia, and creosote completely unite withthe charcoal by the affinitive constituents of each closely commingling,and by absorption the salt and lignin become thoroughly intermingled inthe concrete mass. The greater quantity of charcoal used will produce anincreased amount of carbonic-acid gas, which will serve as an efiicientvehicle for conveying the fumes of the remaining components in properproportions to the tobacco treated and simultaneously affect all partsof the leaves alike and avoid the disadvantages of an unequalapplication of the fumes in their separate estates. As before indicated,the sulfur, ammonia, and charcoal by their combination fix the flavordesired at the time the salt is operating to open the pores. The saltalso tempers the very flammable tendency of the sulfur and charcoal andrenders the consumption of the lignin more slow, and the combined effectof all the said ingredients will be more beneficial in view of theprolongation of their attack on the tobacco-leaves. The lignin also actsto temper the harsh effect of the sulfur and creosote and the tendencyof the latter to dry out the leaves, the ammonia acting to Work up andcirculate the oil and obstructed in a too free action in this directionby the combined sulfur, creosote, and charcoal.

- Any inclosure may be used to render the burning compound effective,and-the delay incident to curing green tobacco by the commonly-employedmethods is avoided. In re- ,curing tobaccos that have been previouslysubjected to other treatments whereby the leaves are badly colored orfaded and dull and lifeless in appearance a uniform color and velvetyfinish is imparted thereto, the color in each instance varying fromlight chocolate to mahogany and at the same time WILLIAM A. PIKE. ALBERTC. OI-IADOIN. HUTOHISON M. PIKE.

Witnesses:

J. W. BELL, A. M. PIKE.

